Show Me The Way
by Damsel In Distress-Like
Summary: After Stefan rescues Elena from the car accident that killed her parents, he leaves Mystic Falls in the hopes of protecting her from his brother, Damon. What he doesn't count on is Damon returning to Mystic Falls for his own reasons - and meeting Elena.
1. Agony

**Author's Note**: I am incredibly notorious on my main account for having multiple stories at once; usually it's because I get stuck on one story and my only cure for Writer's Block (it seems!) is to start a new story. In this case, it was just a new idea that I had which I was really excited to go with. I hope that you'll enjoy this story, it's a little bit of a twist to the series of what may have happened if Elena had met Damon Salvatore first. (No worries - he's still badass as ever, and obsessed with Katherine for a reasonable amount of time!) Stefan will also still be in this story, eventually - he's the one who rescues Elena in the beginning, like in the show. It'll be told through multiple perspectives, switching from certain scenes like the show, and hopefully I can transition all that smoothly. It will still mostly be Elena's though since it's her story, of how she's torn between two brothers - which will still be happening in this story as well.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own 'The Vampire Diaries,' nor do I own any of the characters from the show. I'm just a fan who is looking for a way to keep busy so I'm not freaking out for the next few months waiting for season two to begin. This will be my one and only disclaimer.

* * *

**Show Me The Way**

_Damsel In Distress-Like_

Agony

_"I've got you," Elena heard a male voice saying. "It's alright, shhh, shh."_

_She felt herself being set on the ground gently, a hand brushing the hair out of her face before the person was gone. Elena couldn't see anything; was she passing out? Dreaming?_

_There was a splash in the distance. Minutes passed before the sound of someone resurfacing could be heard._

_"I'm sorry," the male voice was whispering. "I couldn't save them. I tried. God, you look just like her. But... you're not, are you? You can't be. She's dead, they killed her because of me. I couldn't let you die too. I don't know who you are, but... I feel drawn to you."_

_Elena didn't understand what he was saying, she didn't know who was dead or how she could possibly look exactly like this girl. All she knew was that something was terribly wrong._

"It's a miracle she survived at all," Elena heard a nurse whisper as she came to. Her head felt foggy, and she struggled to open her eyes.

"How awful for her though, to lose both parents like that. It's just a blessing the Gilbert's youngest son wasn't in the car too, one miracle is rare enough, but two? Poor boy would have died along with his parents."

_Died... along with his parents? Mom and dad are... oh God. _Elena's eyes fluttered open for the briefest of moments before everything began to spin and slowly faded to black.

* * *

A week later, Elena was released from the hospital to go home. If you wanted to call it home, since without her parents and with her brother locked in his room day in and day out, Elena was left alone with her aunt Jenna, who, try as she might, just wasn't a replacement for Elena's parents.

When Jeremy finally came out of his room, he wouldn't talk to anyone. Not Elena, not Jenna - no one. He went to school, his eyes dead and his motions stiff. He sat through each class silently, and didn't do any of his assignments. He just sat there, just existed in the classroom. His mind was never truly there.

Elena wasn't much better. She did the work, but just barely, and she was always distracted in class. Though her friends and her boyfriend Matt were worried about her, she couldn't bring herself to ease their minds. What would she tell them? That she was _okay _with the fact that her parents would never say they loved her again? Okay with the fact that they no longer existed? She couldn't lie to them, and she couldn't tell the truth. So she said nothing at all.

"Elena!" Elena ignored her name being called; she knew it was Matt, it was always Matt, and she didn't want to talk to him. She clutched her books tighter to her chest and continued walking until she felt his hand touch her shoulders. She flinched, and he removed his hand, seeming hurt. "I'm worried about you," Matt said gently, moving in front of her so that she had to look at him.

"Don't be." Everyone was worried about her; everyone thought that there was something wrong with her, something wrong with how she was acting. If Jeremy had more friends, they'd probably be badgering him too - but her brother had always been a bit of a loner at the highschool, and so not many even noticed his new attitude. Elena did, as she watched him stumble into a garbage can because he was so high that he could barely walk straight.

"But I am." Matt took her chin in his hands, lifting her head so that she had to look at him, not around him at her brother Jeremy, or past him where Bonnie and Caroline were watching, waiting to see if he got through to her.

"Matt, I don't think we should date anymore." The words slipped from her lips before she could even think about what she was saying. She and Matt had been best friends forever; everyone had been waiting for the day they would get together, and when they had, it had been like everything was right in the world.

Only it wasn't.

"What?" Matt's voice shook a little, surprise etched across his face. "Elena, I know you're hurting, but -"

"No, Matt. I mean, yes - yes, I'm hurting. But I just... I need time to myself, time to figure things out. I know I haven't been fair to you, or to Bonnie and Caroline. The truth is, I just can't bring myself to care. About anything. I need this. I need you to just... be my friend again. Just a friend, until I figure things out for myself."

Elena could see that he was no longer surprised; he only looked sad, and hurt. But he was also understanding, and she could see the acceptance in his eyes as the silence stretched between them. He kissed her on the forehead gently.

"I'll always be your friend, Elena." Before she could say anything, Matt was gone. She had hurt him badly, and she knew that he had only been putting on a strong front, but she was glad. Felt a little relieved, like finally one of the things looming over her head had gone away.

Over the next few weeks, Elena found herself gradually getting back to living. Not just existing, moving from point A to point B - but actually _living. _She still hadn't reconciled with Matt, wasn't even sure if that was what she wanted now. She was a changed person, and he would always be Matt.

The only thing that sent Elena back into the darkest depths of her mind was seeing her brother Jeremy, throwing his life away and risking it each day by doing drugs. He never talked to her anymore, and his so-called friends that he finally had weren't really friends. They just wanted their next hit, and they knew Jeremy was naive and would help them get it.

"I just don't understand how you can throw your life away like this, Jeremy," Elena finally said one day, when she cornered Jeremy in the bathroom they shared as he tried to put eye drops in. "Mom and dad would have never wanted this."

"They never would have wanted to be dead either, Elena, but guess what? They still are." Jeremy shot back, trying to move past her. Elena didn't budge.

"Everyone dies eventually, Jeremy."

"So what, that makes it okay that they're gone now? It makes everything better? Screw you, Elena. They wouldn't have even died if..." Jeremy trailed off, the colour draining from his face as he realized what he had almost said. "Elena, I'm..."

"No," Elena said, her voice breaking. "You're not. Because it's true - and we both know it." She turned on her heel and ran out of the house without looking back. It didn't matter where she went, so long as she got away.

Jeremy blamed her; how could he not?

It was her fault that her parents were dead.

And she didn't know how she was ever going to get over that.

* * *

**Author's Note**: I know, I know, it's pretty angsty and dramatic, but the next chapter will skip ahead in time a bit to where Elena is in a better place with her emotions and coping better with the death of her parents. I thought this chapter was necessary to get across the pain she feels and the guilt, as well as establishing some anger and tension between Elena and Jeremy.

The little bit at the beginning that's in italics is something that Elena thinks she remembers happening, but believes is just a dream she had while she was unconscious in the hospital. It was Stefan, and though I didn't say it in the story (yet), he has left Mystic Falls - for now.

I hope regardless of the angst you enjoyed this first chapter, I'll probably have the second one up soon since it's easier and quicker for me to work with purely original work than it is to do my other story, because with the other story I have to watch the episode I'm doing a chapter for, figure out what scenes I want to use, observe every tiny little detail about Damon as possible to make sure that I'm not stuck in Damon-is-nicer-and-sweeter-now-mode because of the last few episodes - so on so forth.


	2. No Longer The Same

**Author's Note**: I'm pretty excited about this story, and since it'll be easier for me to do, I'll probably have a LOT of updates for the next little while. Hope you all enjoy! Don't forget to review!

* * *

**Show Me The Way  
**_Damsel In Distress-Like_

No Longer The Same

_Dear Diary,_

_Today is a new day. The beginning of a new school year. I will smile, I will laugh. I will act like I am alright, because it's what is expected of me. By my friends, my teachers. No one cares anymore that my parents are dead. They expect for me to feel the same, to be the old Elena._

_The truth is, I'm no longer the same. But if I pretend that I am, maybe, just maybe, I'll even fool myself._

_x x x x_

"How are you?" Caroline asked for the tenth time in a matter of minutes.

"I'm fine, Caroline. Really." Elena forced a smile on her face and grabbed her books from her locker.

"Are you sure, because-"

"So what class do you guys have?" Bonnie cut in, sending a knowing look Elena's way. Elena mouthed 'thank you' as Caroline began reading off her schedule.

The trio walked through the halls together when Elena saw Matt. He gave her a small smile, but she knew that look all too well - the moment he turned around, the smile would be gone, the true expression would show.

"I'll be right back," Elena murmured, separating from her friends. She walked up to Matt and leaned up against the locker beside him. "Hi, Matt."

"Hi."

Awkward silence followed, and Elena bit her bottom lip as she waited for something clever to pop into her head. She'd only wanted to show Matt that it was okay for them to talk, since he'd been avoiding her whenever they'd seen each other over the summer. She wanted to show him that they could be friends again, which she really, really needed.

"So," Matt said finally, "I should probably get to class. See you later, Elena." He gave her arm a small squeeze and brushed past her. Elena turned and watched him walk down the hall, before going to her own class.

* * *

Damon Salvatore was standing outside of the Salvatore Boarding House, looking up at its front entrance for a few moments before going up to the door. He went to open it when he heard a voice behind him.

"You can't go in; I haven't invited you."

Damon turned and saw Zack, one of his last living family members, glaring at him from the driveway. Damon smirked, shrugging his shoulders.

"It's my house, Zack. I can come and go as I please. You should know that," Damon added, his tone slightly threatening as he turned back to open the door. He entered the house with no difficulty and threw his leather jacket down on a chair. He heard Zack come in behind him, but he ignored the pesky human for the time being, going up the stairs to his bedroom.

He stopped outside of Stefan's room and peered inside; he could still smell the hint of animal blood and Stefan's favourite cologne. It was old, but fresh enough for Damon to realize that Stefan had been home within the past few months. _What brought YOU home to Mystic Falls, Stefan? _Damon wondered curiously, as he stepped into the room. He didn't care about respecting Stefan's privacy; if his brother was stupid enough to leave something personal and private out and about, that was his problem.

Damon walked up to the desk and saw a picture of Katherine sitting on top. He picked it up tenderly, rubbing his thumb across her face before putting it down. He had to get her out of the tomb; let Stefan have the only picture of her. Damon would have Katherine in the flesh before long.

* * *

After explaining again that she couldn't make it to cheerleading practice, Elena grabbed her things and made her way to the Mystic Falls Cemetery where her parents were buried. An entire day of lying and saying she was alright had gotten to her - and she wanted to be near her parents, especially after catching Jeremy knocking back pills between third and fourth period in the halls.

Elena took the scenic route, through the overhanging trees where only the old tombstones were. As she crossed the little bridge across the small riverbed, Elena saw a man standing in front of an old gravestone that was falling apart. It was unusual, because the people buried here had died back when Mystic Falls was first founded.

A crow cawed suddenly, sounding as if it was right next to Elena, and she gave a small shriek, jumping back and tripping over a tree root. She threw her hands out in front of her to try to stop herself from falling, and scraped the palms against a jagged rock. She hissed in pain and discomfort, feeling the sharp edges cutting into her skin, before turning around to look for the crow. When she didn't see it, she stood up and looked back to where the man had been standing. She saw that he was looking at her. The look on his face was unreadable, but Elena suddenly found herself unable to move.

"S-sorry," Elena apologized quickly. "The crow back there startled me."

The man tilted his head, his dark hair falling into his eyes as he stared at her, his eyes narrowed in confusion. The wind picked up, and suddenly his eyes darkened.

"Is this... an ancestor of yours?" Elena asked, indicating the tombstone the man was standing in front of. He glanced at it briefly before turning his intense gaze back to her. Elena felt uncomfortable as his eyes trailed over her, drinking her in.

"Distant, yes." He murmured, not taking his eyes from her. They stood there for a few moments, neither of them moving, and Elena began to shift uncomfortably.

"Well," Elena said loudly, "I have people to visit, so I'll leave you alone." She started to walk past him when his voice stopped her.

"Damon," he called. "My name is Damon Salvatore."

* * *

Damon decided that he wanted to visit the tomb where Katherine was trapped, find a way in to where the spell's seal was located. The tomb was just through the woods near the towns cemetery, and he found himself trudging through the cemetery to where he and his brother's tombstone had been placed. Moss had grown over it, covering their names, but Damon remembered where it was.

Their bodies had never been placed within the graves; hard to do, when they were vampires. But Giuseppe Salvatore had wanted everyone to believe his sons were loyal, and died the final death of a human.

It was at this graveside that he had been standing when _she _had shrieked, sounding so much like Katherine. And then he had turned around and saw her.

The first instinct was to get angry, angry at Emily for betraying his confidence and telling Stefan about the tomb Katherine was buried in, for how else could Katherine have been released? But as the young girl stammered out her apology for disturbing him, Damon caught a scent of blood. Human blood - _her _blood. His eyes glanced down at her hands, and saw the small line of red.

The thirst that hit him was stronger than he'd ever experienced. He wanted her, he _needed _her, and he wanted to kill her. He let himself look her over, and he could feel himself morphing into the hunter.

"Distant, yes," he murmured in answer to her question. He wished she would run, would realize that she was in danger. It was so much more fun to hunt them down, to smell their fear in the air as he closed in on them, feel that moment of hope where they thought _maybe _they would get away.

It seemed that it finally worked; the girl was moving uncomfortably, but not out of fear - no, he didn't smell that on her. _Be afraid, _Damon tried commanding her. _Fear me. _

"Well, I have people to visit, so I'll leave you alone." She started to walk away, and Damon's thirst slowly turned into curiosity and a desire to at least find out her name, find out if she was related to Katherine.

"Damon," he called after her. "My name is Damon Salvatore."

The girl turned around and looked at him for a moment before saying, "Elena Gilbert."

Gilbert.

Not Pierce. Not related to Katherine.

"Elena," Damon murmured. He walked toward her, standing so close he could feel the warmth coming off her body. She stared at him, confused. He glanced down at her exposed neck, and felt his fangs slowly coming out of his gums.

"Damon?"

The way she said his name was so eerily like Katherine that it startled him. Damon turned around quickly, allowing his hunger to fade away - for the moment.

"You should go." Damon said dully. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Elena."

He waited until he heard her footsteps going off in the opposite direction before leaving the tombstone. He was still thirsty, but he couldn't bring himself to drink from Elena just now.

Damon never regretted killing a human, or felt remorse at ending their lives in such brutal ways. But killing Elena in that moment would have felt like murder - like he was killing Katherine.

Damon noted a young couple off in the distance, groping each other, the girl pressed up against a statue. He smirked, and watched as fog began to appear and thicken around the two teenagers. They were so oblivious, so caught up in their actions.

He glided over towards them, hidden in the fog, and it took only moments for his face to emerge from the shadows. The girl noticed it first; she was the one facing him. She screamed, pushing at the boy, trying to get him to turn around and run.

"Vicki, babe, what's the matter?" The boy murmured huskily into her neck. Her _neck. _Damon stared at it hungrily, wanting to taste the blood, to feel the beat of her heart through her veins.

The human boy was in the way; Damon knocked him back effortlessly, and the teenager slammed up roughly against a headstone, his eyes closing.

"Tyler!" Vicki screamed. She tried to run to him, but Damon gripped her throat, his fangs now visible.

"You look delicious," Damon whispered, before biting hard into her neck. Vicki screamed at first, struggling to break away, but soon she was drifting away, growing tired and weak.

"Help! Somebody help!" The one Vicki had called Tyler had regained his senses. Damon dropped the girl to the ground and growled at the boy. He would be next, and then -

And then he saw Elena, too far in the distance to see him through the fog, but running their way to help. He smiled; foolish girl. Perhaps she'd keep him entertained, for a while.

_Guess I don't have time to kill you two after all, _Damon thought regretfully. He went to Tyler first.

"You will not remember who attacked you and your girlfriend. You will only remember being very, very afraid." Damon turned to the girl, who was moaning on the ground. She'd be dead soon anyway. Besides, what fun was the game if he controlled _all _the players?

_See you soon, Elena. _

_

* * *

_

**Author's Note**: BAM! Haha I quite enjoyed working on that chapter, I must say. I'm not sure I like the end result - I'm trying to incorporate little vague things from the show and, as in the little spoiler paragraph after this says, the book. I think it helps draw connections from the three things (book, show, this fanfiction) to help make this sort of alternate "what if" dimension seem more real. Oh, and I'm thinking I'll start each chapter with a journal entry by Elena. It's fun ;P Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, please submit a review and let me know what you think about it, what you liked, what you hated... anything!

***BOOK SPOILER!*** If you thought Vicki and Tyler making out in the cemetery and Vicki getting attacked there seemed faintly familiar, COOKIES TO YOU! I recently started trying to read the book (it's hard for me to get into, though. It's too mushy/lovey-dovey, TOO FAST - even if I wasn't Team Damon, I'd think that.) and got to that part the other night where Tyler, Vicki, Elena, and some other guy are in the cemetery and Vicki's making out with that other guy when she gets attacked.


	3. Vampire

**Author's Note**: I want to thank everyone who has added this story to their favourites, their story alerts, or who has added me to their author alert. I would also like to thank the people who have taken the time to review the story and submit their feedback. I just wanted everyone to know I really appreciate it, and I'm glad that people are enjoying this story as much as I am!

**Show Me The Way**

_Damsel In Distress-Like_

Vampire

_Dear Diary,  
_

_Yesterday, Matt's sister Vicki was attacked. I was the one who found her, lying in the cemetery, with Tyler screaming for someone to help. It was so foggy when I got to them. I called 911 on my cell and tried to keep Tyler calm, but I was scared myself - what if whatever attacked them was still there? Tyler doesn't remember if it was some kind of wild animal or what, but he was so scared._

We met Matt at the hospital, and he hugged me so hard I could barely breathe. He couldn't even bring himself to ask Tyler what he was doing with Vicki. The doctor came out and told us that Vicki had lost a lot of blood and she needed to stay in the hospital for awhile for observation to be sure she was okay.

I can't help but wonder if that could have been me. If Vicki and Tyler hadn't been there for this... thing... to attack, would it have found me?

Jenna told me I should stay away from the cemetery for awhile, until it's safe again. I tried to argue with her, but she refused to back down. She's getting better and better at imitating mom; she would have never let me go back to the cemetery after an attack like that, either. 

__

x x x

__Elena stayed home that day. Everyone by now would know she was the one who had found Vicki and Tyler, and called for help. Everyone would want to know what had happened; if it was true that Vicki had been naked when she found her - which, it wasn't - and if it was true that Tyler had gone crazy and done it himself. Everyone knew he had problems controlling his temper.

Instead, Elena had sat in her room for hours, reading a book from her shelf. Jenna had brought her up some breakfast before leaving her alone most of the morning.

"You _what!_" It was early afternoon when Elena heard Jenna's voice travelling up the stairs, and she put her book down, listening. "Jeremy, it's the second day of school. How did you get suspended so fast?"

_Jeremy... _Elena thought angrily. She got up and began heading down the stairs, but stopped halfway down when she heard her brother speak.

"I couldn't take all the talking about Vicki, okay? Some guy was making rude comments, I didn't like them, so I told him to stop. He shoved me and I shoved back. So we fought, and that's it, no big deal."

"What kind of rude comments?" Jenna asked, her voice softer.

"It doesn't matter. I'm out of here," Jeremy said, and suddenly he was at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at Elena with disgust. "Great," he said angrily, "you want to try playing mom too?"

"No," Elena responded quietly. Jeremy seemed satisfied with that and brushed past her, heading up to his room. Elena grabbed his sweater to stop him. "Do you want to go see Vicki?"

Jeremy stared at her for a moment, before nodding.

"Yeah."

"Then let's go."

x x x x

Caroline dropped her book on the cafeteria table and groaned. Bonnie glanced up at her from her notes.

"Giving up that quick?"

"Shakespeare makes _no sense _to me," Caroline complained. "I don't know why we have to learn it, it's so... pointless. Why can't we learn useful things?"

"Like what, flirting with hot boys?" Bonnie asked, smirking.

"EXACTLY! A class like that would really bring my average up, you know?" Caroline joked, laughing. Bonnie rolled her eyes and began writing again. "Bonnie..." Caroline trailed off, her tone suddenly serious.

"Yeah Caroline?"

"Do you think Elena's really okay?" Caroline asked, biting her bottom lip. Bonnie sighed.

"Caroline, her parents are dead. She was in the same car as them, and she was the only one who survived. What do you think?"

"I don't mean, like, sad or upset about her parents. I know that, I get it. I'm just worried that it's more than that. I mean, am I the only one whose noticed her little brother stumbling through the halls with bloodshot eyes? That fight earlier, with Eric? That was _not _stable."

"Eric's an ass," Bonnie said. "And Jeremy is having a really hard time with all of this. He's just a kid."

"That's exactly my point. What if Elena's having a really hard time with all of this? She's telling us it's fine, but it shouldn't be. She's not talking about it with anyone, and I'm worried."

"Elena knows she can talk to us," Bonnie reminded her. "Maybe she's not talking about it because she's trying to move on as best as she can."

"I just feel like we should be doing something more... friend-like. Girls night out or something. I feel like there's just so much drama and we could all use a little break from it."

"You're right. A break from the drama sounds nice," Bonnie added, sighing. Caroline caught the expression on her face and raised her eyebrow.

"What's that about, Bonnie Bennett?" Caroline asked, leaning in.

"It's nothing," Bonnie lied quickly, forcing a smile. She saw Caroline roll her eyes. "Fine, it's my grams, okay? I'm getting worried about her. I think she's really like, losing her mind or something. She keeps trying to push our ancestry on me, since we're apparently descended from Salem witches."

"Sounds kinky," Caroline interrupted, winking.

"I'm serious, Caroline. It get's worse - she says _I'm _a witch, and she keeps telling me that if I don't embrace my heritage, I'm going to end up exploding with power and really hurting someone. I know, sounds completely whack-job, right? I don't believe her, obviously, but she DOES believe in all of this. And... there's something else," Bonnie admitted, reluctantly. She looked away, not wanting to see Caroline's expression.

"What?" Caroline asked quietly.

"She read my palm once. I thought it was cool, the whole pretend psychic thing. But she dropped my hand as soon as she grabbed it and stared at me for a really long time. I asked her what was wrong, and she didn't want to tell me. When I finally got it out of her, she said... I'm going to die early."

"She was probably drunk, Bonnie. You don't believe in all that fate stuff any more than I do." Caroline said softly, smiling at her friend. "You'll die all old and wrinkly like the rest of us."

"You're probably right," Bonnie said weakly, smiling. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling of unease that settled over her.

x x x x

"Are you part of Vicki Donovan's family?" The nurse asked, looking over her clipboard at Elena and Jeremy. Elena glanced at her brother and saw that he looked ready to yell. She quickly stepped in front of him.

"We're friends of the family," Elena explained. "I... was the one who found her. I wanted to make sure that she was okay."

"I'm sorry, but only family can see Miss Donovan during regular hospital hours. You'll have to wait until later this afternoon if you'd like to see her during visiting hours."

"It's okay," Matt called from behind them. Elena turned around and saw him give her a grim smile. "These aren't the people I was trying to keep away from my sister. They can come in." The nurse sighed and waved them off, and Jeremy rushed past Elena and Matt without another word to Vicki's room. Elena lingered outside of the room with Matt, wanting to give Jeremy a bit of space.

"Who are you trying to keep away from your sister?" Elena asked, sitting down in an armchair outside Vicki's room. Matt sat down next to her and put his hands in his lap.

"Her stoner friends who would think it was funny to take a picture of them next to her while she looks like a corpse," Matt said bitterly.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Neither of them spoke for awhile after that. Finally, Elena couldn't take it anymore.

"Jeremy got suspended today," Elena said conversationally. She saw Matt give her a weird look at her tone, and she smiled tightly. "Guess why."

"I don't think you want me to guess," Matt told her softly. "You might not like what I'm thinking."

Elena knew that it was no secret to any of her friends that Jeremy had been getting heavy into the drugs ever since their parents had died. The change in him was obvious. His grades dropped, his attitude became ruder, and he was always seen alone. _No, _Elena thought sadly, _I probably wouldn't like what you're thinking._

"Someone was making rude comments about your sister at school, and Jeremy got in a fight with the kid."

"_Oh_."

"And he jumped at the opportunity to come visit her in the hospital, even though I was the one offering to bring him," Elena added. Matt made a "hmph" noise and glanced back at Vicki's room.

"Well," Matt said after awhile, "I guess I'm glad he stood up for her. I still haven't had a chance to find out what the hell Vicki and Tyler were doing together in a _cemetery_."

"Not exactly what _I'd _consider makeout lane," Elena agreed. Matt shot her a look and stood up.

"What do you mean, 'makeout lane'?" Matt demanded angrily.

"Matt, your sister has had a crush on Tyler for years. You really haven't noticed that?" Elena asked him gently. Matt sighed, running his hands through his hair.

"Yeah, I noticed. I just didn't catch when Tyler decided he should play along. Do you really think that's why they were there?" Matt's voice sounded so little, and Elena felt bad for even bringing up the possibility of Vicki and Tyler making out.

"I don't know," Elena answered truthfully.

x x x x

Jeremy reached out hesitantly to grab Vicki's hand. He ran his thumb over the back of her hand, watching her as she slept on the hospital bed. She looked so weak, so pale. He couldn't believe that this had happened to her.

Vicki shifted and suddenly her eyes were slowly opening. She shut them tightly again, and Jeremy squeezed her hand. Her eyes opened again and fell on his face.

"Hey," Jeremy whispered.

"Hi."

"How are you feeling?" Jeremy asked, his voice cracking. Vicki noticed he was holding her hand and gently slid it out. Jeremy pulled back, hurt.

"What are you doing here?" Vicki asked instead. "Where's Matt?"

"Out in the hall with Elena," Jeremy said, ignoring her first question. Vicki stared at him, waiting, but when he didn't offer more than that she sighed.

"They're going to think something's going on between us."

"Would that be so bad?" Jeremy countered. "Am I that repulsive to you?"

"No! It's nothing like that, Jeremy. It's just..." Vicki trailed off and looked away. Jeremy stood up.

"It's just, I'm not Tyler, and I never will be. I get that, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends, Vicki." Jeremy walked over to the other side of her bed and knelt down, putting his hand on the side of her face so that she couldn't look away.

"You want more than that," Vicki whispered. Jeremy shrugged.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't, but I know what I _don't _want: for you to act like you don't even know me. Since you're not willing to do anything with me - in public, anyway," Jeremy added bitterly, "do you think you could at least do that? Be my friend?"

Vicki nodded, and Jeremy smiled, lifting his hand from her face.

"Try to be anything more, or do anything to make Tyler stop paying attention to me, and that friendship is as good as gone," Vicki warned Jeremy. He nodded soberly, and went back to the chair he had been sitting in before.

"What happened, Vicki? I... I know you were with Tyler, in the cemetery. And I know Elena found you," Jeremy added. Vicki looked at him, surprised.

"Elena found me?"

"Yeah. She... she goes there a lot, visit mom and dad." Jeremy looked away from Vicki for a moment, not wanting her to see his eyes glaze over. He closed his eyes tightly before opening them and looking back at Vicki. She reached out and grabbed his hand, returning the squeeze Jeremy had given her before. It was as close as she would get to comforting Jeremy for what happened to his parents, but it seemed to mean more to Jeremy than if she had said she was sorry. He was so tired of people apologizing, like it was their fault.

"This fog came out of nowhere, and..." Vicki's eyes started watering, and she coughed. "He came out of the fog. He didn't want Tyler, he knocked him away so fast that I could hear when Tyler slammed into the tombstone. And then..." Vicki started crying, unable to say more. She took her hand back from Jeremy and buried her face in her hands.

"Who is 'he', Vicki?" Jeremy asked her frantically. "Who did this to you?"

"The vampire," Vicki cried out. "The vampire did this to me."

**Author's Note**: I wanted to try and show a more sensitive side to Caroline, because usually when I portray her, I'm making her seem really annoying and we know from the show that a lot of that is a front she puts on. She can be really sweet sometimes, and really insensitive and ditzy other times. Hopefully she didn't seem out of character in that scene D;

I have a whole other idea for a subplot with Jeremy and Anna way, waaay down the road that came to mind while doing this chapter, and I'm hoping you guys will enjoy it. Can anyone guess what part of the chapter might have inspired this? :O It's kind of a vague but really obvious thing, so it might be hard to get, but one of those, "DUH!" things where you feel kind of stupd after someone tells you. I'll point it out in the next chapter or the one after, depending on where certain scenes I have planned occur.

Thanks for reading, drop me a comment! =) 


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